Hegseth Nomination Even Shocked and Angered Old Friends

It is critical to start anything on Peter Hegseth with the premise that under no circumstance should he ever have been nominated for Secretary of Defense, nor should he now get through the process. Having read the original police report regarding his sexual assault – rape – a disgusting rundown, even if Hegseth had a stellar past in both the military and life, while also having the requisite experience, the rape is so disqualifying (As all are), it should have been and continue to be game over. And yet, even before the explosive report, some of Hegseth’s old company-mates were shocked by the choice and didn’t like it according to a new report in The Washington Post.

First, when Hegseth took an extra tour in Iraq, it was so nakedly self-serving that the people around him knew exactly why he was there – something that likely didn’t instill much confidence or respect. He wanted to land a big political job. Hegseth was apparently unable to redeem himself:

“One former officer who served with Hegseth said he was surprised to see a National Guard member taking on such a role. He surmised that Hegseth probably wanted to run for office someday and thought a combat tour could help, the former officer said.”

Despite that being somewhat mild, the report goes on and is more damning. None were celebrating the appoinment:

“The former Army officer who served with Hegseth in Iraq said he believes he has latched on to ‘populist scenarios’ in a quest for personal gain. When news of Hegseth’s potential nomination emerged, old acquaintances from those days got back in touch with one another, the former officer said. One text he received especially stood out. All it said: ‘WTF?’

Again, and this just cannot be said enough, the rape alone is just so obviously disqualifying and bad as to be more than enough to keep him far outside a position of such authority. Hegseth paid the woman off out of the belief that he’d lose even his weekend job at Fox News – hard to do. But there were so many other signs. This is a guy who by a young age had burned through marriages, fathered a child outside his relationships, and having a past notorious for hard drinking  – all huge red flags for a position that demands the best of the best. It takes a special person to deserve special access. Actually, very few of us are qualified, and yet all but a few of us are more qualified than Hegseth.

Having said all that, if a person cannot stand out as a leader among those serving with him, cannot get the confidence of those closest to him, how is he supposed to effectively lead the tens of thousands under a Sec. Def.? He cannot.

There is one last factor. His judgment is also disqualifying because he has accepted and is going forward with the nomination, hoping to land the position anyway. In order to even be considered, it was his job to say, “I shouldn’t be considered. You don’t want to do this” to Trump and the transition team.

This doesn’t forgive the team or Trump. Even if they didn’t know a thing about the controversies, they had no choice but to pull the nomination. First, Hegseth wasn’t qualified to begin with, having little experience of the type expected. Two of the three last Secretaries of Defense had worn four stars – for a long time. Second, the transition did know of the rape allegation and pay-off almost immediately after the nomination. As bad as it might look, they needed to pull the nomination immediately. Pulling it would look nowhere near as bad as going forward now. They had a chance to say “This should not have happened and will not happen on the next attempt.” Bad, but not the worst – as has happened.

The names nominated for positions continue to cause serious concern. They appear to be chosen as much to shock as to serve. Only the appointment of Marco Rubio at State and perhaps Scott Bessent at Treasury seem to be respected as serious people who might seriously carry out the job with some success. These appointments say a lot and Hegseth should just as obviously be dropped as Gaetz.

I doubt that Hegseth will make it through. Moreover, shame on him for continuing to even try. He could make Trump’s life easier if he simply dropped out – but hasn’t. I said he was nowhere near qualified even without the rape payoff.

God Bless: I can be reached at [email protected] and @Jason Miciak and now on Blue Sky, a great alternative. 

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